LIKE THE OVERFLOWING WATERS OF THE MISSISSIPPI, TIME's flood-coverage team spread out across the land last week. It was obvious to Midwest bureau chief Jon Hull that a major disaster required a major effort, and he divvied up a wide range of assignments. Correspondent Elizabeth Taylor headed off for Des Moines, Iowa; reporter Staci Kramer viewed the damage in St. Louis, Missouri, from a helicopter; and St. Paul, Minnesota, reporter Marc Hequet examined relief efforts as well as the health impact of contaminated water throughout the region. It would be a trying but fulfilling week for all.
Hull himself flew from...